Dryer sprinkle system



Jan. 23, 1968 A. D. F|sH ETAL 3364585 DRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM Filed June7, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTORS sn 0. F232? 2728211217 O. menk THE/RATTORNEY Jan. 23, 1968 A. D. FlsH ETALA DRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM 5Sheets-Sheet Filed June 7, 1965 /NVENToRs Ousz'v'n D. Fish 272821/[22 O.mark THEIR ATTORNEY Jan. 23, 1968 A. D. FlsH ETAL DRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 7, 1965 wZO-FODmFmZ. mmqxzam Jan. 23, 1968A. D. FlsH ETAL DRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM Fild June 7, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4az ma w; WD. mm

771511? A TTORNE'Y Jan. 23, 1968 Filed June 7, 1965 A. D. FISH ETALDRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM ;NVENToRs 0118211?? D. Fish 'BeJv/'n O. mam? THEIR'TORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3354585 Patented Jan. 23, 19683,364,585 DRYER SPRINKLE SYSTEM Austin D. Fish, Tipp City, and Melvin A.Monk, Eugle- Wood, Ohio, assignors to General Motors Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No.461,869 1 Claim. (Cl. 34-45) ABS'I'RACT OF TE DSCLSURE In preferred forma domestic dryer including a drum, means for distributing heated airthrough the drum including a perforated rear drum Wall and a portedcylindrcal drum support member, a gravity flow water supply having anozzle fixed on the support member and including an outlet communicatingwith the drum interior and sealed by an annular seal member disposedbetween a drum extension and the drum support member and a control andsensing system including direct moisture sensing probes supported on therear drum wall centrally thereof to directly contact articles within thedrum and operative to condition control means in response to moisture inthe tumbled articles to terminate a sprinlx'le cycle.

This invention relates to domestic clothes dryers and more particularlyto an automatic sprinkling system for association with clothes dryers.

Present-day automatic domestic clothes dryers typically include someprovision for establishing a predetermined desired dampness followingthe drying cycle of operation. Termination of the drying cycle ofoperation to o'btan clothes in a damp-dry state is desirable so long asthe clothes are immediately ironed. Otherwise, there is a problem ofmildewing. Many users of automatic dryers, however, are unable to ironthe dried articles immediately following the drying cycle of operation,and it is, therefore, desirable to provide some provision for a sprinklecycle of operation that can be carried out at the convenience of theuser. In such cases, the regular drying cycle of operation can beoperated so as to obtain relatively bone dry article processing and thenwhen it is desired to iron the clothes, the user will operate thesprinkle cycle to dampen the clothes so that they can be ironedeffectively.

One problem in prior sprinkling systems for automatic clothes dryers isthe necessity for determining the size of the load to be dampened duringthe sprinkle cycle and then matching a predetermined amount ofsprinkling water to the load size in order to assure that the clothesreach an exact degree of dampness at the end of the sprinkle cycle ofoperation. As long as the quantity of sprinkled water is accuratelyselected, the clothes have a desired degree of dampness for ironing, butbecause of the different types of fa'brics being sprinkled and thedifficulty in accurately determining the weight of the load beingprocessed, this method of sprinkling clothes often produces anundesirable result.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve clothesdryer Operations by the provision of an improved clothes sprnkler systemincluding a sprinkle cycle termination control including a solid statecontrol circuit with a chargeable capacitor conditioned by a clothessensor that contacts articles within the tumbling drum to sense themoisture therein wherein means are provided to inject a Constant amountof water into the tumbling drum irrespective of the clothes weight andwherein the sensing action of the sensor member conditions the controlcircuit to automatically terminate the sprinkle cycle of operation.

A further object of the present invention is to improve domestic clothesdryers by the provision of an improved clothes sprinkler system thereinincluding means for injecting a predetermined quantity of water into atumbling drum irrespective of the weight of the articles being tumbledduring a sprinkle cycle of operation, a manually rotatable programmermember for presetting a desired degree of dampness following a sprinklecycle of operation, a sprinkle cycle selector button, and control meansincluding a sensor member contacting the clothes to sense their dampnessand a chargeable capacitor conditioned by the sensor member andassociated with means operative to condition the control means toterminate the sprinkle cycle of operation when the sensor contactsclothes having a predetermined dampness as preset by the programmermember.

A further object of the present invention is to improve domestic clothesdryers by the provision of an improved sprinkler system for directing apredetermined quantity of water into a tumbling drum irrespective of theweight of the articles being tumbled therein wherein the tumbling drumincludes a rear wall having a sensor member supported on the innersurface thereof at a central location and means for rotatably supportingthe rear wall on an outer housing and the drum further includes a frontwall having a cylindrcal throat member thereon forming an access openinginto the tumbling drum that is supported by an annular port plate memberhaving a throat member disposed concentrically within the throat on thefront wall of the drum wherein the sprinkler system includes a reservoirtank located adjacent the rear wall of the drum above its center line, afiexible conduit for directing water from the reservoir to a pointforwardly of the throat on the front of the drum to communicate with anozzle supportingly received on the port plate by means for fixedlylocating the nozzle to communicate with the interior of the drum withoutbeing displaced by relative movement between the concentrically arrangedthroat members and without reducing the effectiveness of a sealingmember disposed between said throat members.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being has to the accompanyingdrawings Wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention isclearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view partially in section and partially in elevation of aclothes dryer including a sprinkler system of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, partially brokenaway, of a nozzle connection in the embodiment of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view in Vertical section taken along the line 3-3 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in elevation of the control panel of the dryer ofFIGURE 1;

aaa/1,585

FIGURE is an enlarged view in front elevation of a portion of thecontrol panel of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view in elevation of another portion of thecontrol panel of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view of a control circuit suitable for use withthe sprinkler system of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURE 1, a domestic dryer 10 isillustrated including an outer housing 12 having a top 14, a base plate16, side walls 18, 20, a rear wall 22 and a front wall 24. Locatedinteriorly of the outer housing 12 is a rotatable tumbling drum 26having a rear wall 2.8 and a front Wall 30. The rear wall 28 has a shaft32 secured thereto directed through a rear bulkhead 34 extending fromthe base 16 to a point adjacent the top 14 of the machine to besupportingly, rotatably received by a bearing member 36 in the bulkhead34.

The front wall of the drum support or 26 includes a cylindrical drumthroat member 33 thereon which receives a throat member 40 on an annularport plate 42 that is supportingly received by the front Wall 24 withinan opening 44 therein. The port plate 42 defines an access opening 46that is closed by a door closure member 48 pivotally mounted on thefront wall. The port plate throat member 40, as best seen in FIGURE 3,has an annular seal member 50 supported thereon of a suitable resilientmaterial such as felt disposed to fill a space between the port throatmember 40 and the drum throat member 38. At predeterminedcirc-untferential points around the port plate throat member 40 arelocated bearing 'blocks 52 that supportingly receive the front wallthroat member 38 for rotation relative to the outer housing 12.

In the illustrated dryer 10 the drum 26 is driven by an electric motor54 supported by a bracket 56 on the base plate 16. A shaft 57 from themotor 54 drives a single belt drive pulley system 58 that includes abelt 60 passed over the outer periphery of the drum 26.

Additionally, the system includes an electrically energizable heaterelement 62 located between the rear bulkhead 34' and the rear drum Wall28 Within a space 64 therebetween in part formed by an annular sealmember 66 supported on the rear bulkhead 34 and directed forwardlythereof into sliding, sealing engagement with the rear wall 28 adjacentthe outer periphery thereof. During the drying cycles of operation ofthe dryer 10 a blower 68 is driven by the motor 54 through a shaft 70 tocause air to be circulated from exteriorly of the outer housing 12through an opening 72 in the rear wall 22, thence through openings 74 inthe rear bulkhead 34 into the space 64 and across the heating element 62through openings 76 in the rear drum wall 28. The heated air is thenpassed through the interior 78 of the tum'blin-g drum to remove moisturefrom articles being tumbled therein thence through the access opening 46in the port plate 42 and through circumferentially located peripheralopenings 80 therein that communicate with a space 82 in part formed by asealing member 84 disposed between the outer surface of the port plate42 and a duct member 86 spaced inwardly of the front wall 24. From thespace 82 air is passed through a port 88 in the duct member 86 thencethrough a fiexible conduit 90 to the inlet 92 of the blower 68 fromwhence the circulated heated moist air is passed through an outlet 94 ofthe blower 68 and through a fiexible conduit 96 to a point exteriorly ofthe housing 12.

The operation of the drive motor 54 and the heater element 62 isautomatically determined by a controller 98 supported within a controlpanel 100 located rearwardly of the outer housing 12 and including anescutcheon 102 facing forwardly of the machine and including a manuallyrotatable dryness programmer member 104 and a plurality of -drynesscycle selector buttons 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 thereon.Additionally, the escutcheon 102 includes a -pivotal door member 118thereon that is movable to open and close an opening 120 in one side ofthe escutcheon 102.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, the manually rotatable programmer member 104is seen to include a rotatable knob portion 105 having an index line 107thereon for indicating the 'condition at which a clothes drying cycle ofoperation is to be terminated. More particularly, in the illustratedarrangement, the knob 105 is moved relative to damp, normal and extradry control regions and a dryness scale on a collar 109 to preset afinal clothes condition within a range from a bone-dry state to a damp-`ness of approximately 35% depending upon the desires of the user. Thecollar 109 is fixedly secured to the escutcheon against rotation Withrespect thereto.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURE 5, the buttons 106 through 116are more specifically designated by indicia on the escutcheon 102 asbeing a start button 106, a Wash and wear cycle button 108, a regularheavy cycle button 110, a delicate-sprinkle cycle button 112, a no-heatcycle button 114- and a cancel button 116. When the door 118 is opened asprinkler instruction plate portion of the escutcheon 102 is exposed andincludes indicia thereon indicating the operative steps of a sprinklecycle of operation of the present invention including the step ofpouring water through the opening 120'.

Water poured through the opening 120 is passed through a chute 122 intoa sprinkler tank 124 located adjacent the rear wall 28 of the tumblingdrum above the center line of the tumbling drum. Water is drained fromthe tank 124 through an outlet fitting 127 thereon through a fiexibleconduit 128 located on one side of the tumbling drum 26 to extend to apoint forwardly of the throat member 38 on the front wall 30, as bestseen in FIG- URES 1 and 2, where it is connected to one end of asprinkler nozzle 130 held by a bracket 132 on the port plate throat 40so as to locate the opposite end of the nozzle in communication with theinterior 78 of the drum 26.

More specifically, the bracket 132 is secured by rivets 134 to the outerperiphery of the port plate throat member 40 and includes a first bentportion 136 located outwardly and forwardly of the space between thethroat members 38, 40 and a second bent portion 138 that is disposed inthe space between the members 38, 40 and in spaced relationship to themember 40, as best seen in FIGURE 3. The portion 136 receives a firststraight tube portion 140 of the nozzle 130 and the second bracketportion 138 fixedly receives a second straight portion 142 of the nozzle130 that is joined to the first portion 140 by a bend 144. An equivalentarrangement is obtained by silver soldering the tube portion 142 to thethroat member 40. In this case the bracket 132 is eliminated.

The nozzle 130 thereby is rigidly secured to the port plate 42 againstrelative movement with respect thereto. By virtue of this construction,the nozzle end in communication with the interior of the drum 26 isfixed against movement with respect to portions of the seal member 50that are in abutting, sealing engagement with the curved portion 138 ofthe bracket 132, as seen in FIGURE 3. As a result, the eifectiveness ofthe seal member 50 at this location is continually maintainedirrespective of the relative rotation of the throat members 38, 40.Additionally, the fluid connection of the sprinkler tank 124 to theinterior of the drum 26 is maintained fluid tight without anyundesirable leakage at the fluid joints therein even though the tumblingdrum 26 is rotated at relatively high speeds that might otherwise loosenthe joints to cause undesirable leakage therefrom.

Another feature of the illustrated water supply in the sprinkler systemis that it eliminates the need for directing water through the rear wallof the tumbling drum as shown in United States Patent No. 2,958,954,issued Nov. 8, 1960. In the illustrated arrangement such a connection isblocked by a senor member 146 that is secured to the interior surface ofthe rear wall 28 concentrically of the axis of the shaft 32 connectedthereon. The sensor member 146 is of the type that contacts wet tumblngarticles in the interior 78 to control charging of a capacitor in thecontrol Circuit 98. The sensor is, more particularly, set forth in thecopending application of Miller, Ser. No. 457,435, now Patent No.3333345, filed May 20, 1965. As disclosed in the Miller arrangement, thesensor 146 is connected through a Conductor 148 to the Controller 98that includes a wiring Circuit of the type shown in FIGURE 7.

The Circuit of FIGURE 7 again is more specifically set forth in theMiller application and is merely representative of a suitable system forassociation with the present invention. For purposes of thisdescription, it can be generally described as including a heater Circuit150 connected between wires L1, L2 of a three-Wire, 110/ 220` volt powersupply for selectively energizing the heater element 62. The Circuitfurther includes a motor energization network 152 for selectivelyenergizing the drive motor 54. Additonally, the Circuit of FIGURE 7includes a solid state control 154 including a chargeable capacitor thatis electrically connected to the sensor member 146 by the conductor 148.The heater energization Circuit 150 and motor energization Circuit 152are electrically connected across the power source by a door switch 156,a Cancel switch 158 and a start switch 160 actuated by the Start button106. The heater energization Circuit 150 has a variable heat output thatis determined by pressing the Wash and wear cycle button 108, theregular heavy cycle 110 or the delicate sprinkle cycle 112 to closecontacts 162, 164, 166, respectively, to produce the varying heat outputfrom the heater 62.

The Circuit also includes a relay controlled contact 168 for terminatingheat output under the control of the solid state Controller 154 and arelay controlled contact 170 for likewise terminating tumblng action lbyde-energizing the motor 54. The Circuit further includes a relaycontrolled contact 172 for completing a holding Circuit for the solidstate Controller 154 during the operative cycle of the machine. In eachcase, the relay control contacts 168, 170, 172 are positioned -byenergization of a relay coil 174 controlled by the solid stateController 154.

The circuit also includes a bimetallic contact 176 for producing apredetermined cool-off period following a drying cycle of operation andan alarm 178 for indicating the termination of a drying cycle. Theabove-described Circuit is merely representative of one Circuit thatincludes a solid state Capacitive controlled network associated with aClothes contacting sensor member for regulating the dryer operation. Fora more detailed description of the above-described Circuit, referencecan be made to the above cited Miller application wherein the detailedoperation of the circuit is set forth.

The operation of the sprnkler system described above is as follows.Articles to be sprinkled are placed in the tumblng drum interior and thedoor 48 is closed to close the door switch 156. Then, the drynesscontrol knob 104 is positioned to extra dry whereby the solid statecontrol network 154 is conditioned to close the relay Contacts 168, 170,172 when the start button 106 and delicate sprinkle cycle button 112 arepushed to close contact 160 and the contact 166. At this time the heaterenergization Circuit and motor energization Circuit are Closed to causecirculated heated air to be distributed through the tumblng drum androtation of the tumblng drum. Then the user pours a predeterminedConstant amount of water into the sprnkler opening 120 irrespective ofthe size of the Clothes load. The predetermined amount of water isselected to produce a sufiicient injection of water to give a finalClothes dampness within the dampness ranges established by theProgrammer member 104. The water immediately drains through the nozzle130 into the interior of the drum and is distributed through the Clothesby the tumblng action of the drum. Following injection of the water themember 104 is reset to a preferred dampness control position dependingupon the desres of the particular user. The sprinkle cycle of operationthen is determined by the random contact of the sensor 146 with the wettumblng articles, which, as discussed in the Miller application, whenthe tumbled articles reach a state of dampness as preselected by thedryness programmer member 104, eventually will allow Charging of thecapacitor to cause the solid state controller 154 to de-energize thecoil 174 to de-energize the dryer control circuit and open the motorcontrol relay switch 170. Motor energization then depends upon theposition of the cool-olf bimetallic switch 176 which, following apredetermined cool-down period, will open to terminate tumblng action ofthe drum 26 and sound the alarm 178.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a domestic Clothes dryer sprinkling system, the combination of, anouter housing including a control panel having an escutcheon across thefront thereof, a manually actuatable member thereon serving as aprogrammable dryness control selector, a plurality of manually operablebuttons on said escutcheon operable to select predetermined cycles ofdryer operation, a fill opening in said escutcheon, a tumblng drumlocated within said outer housing including a rear wall and a front wallhaving a cylindrical throat member therein forming an access openinginto the interior of said drum, means including a drum drive shaftsecured Centrally of said rear wall for rotatably supportng the rear endof said drum on said outer housing, means including a port plate havingexhaust ports therein and a cylindrcally shaped port plate throat memberlocated concentrically within and axially of said drum throat member forrotatably supportng the front end of said drum on said outer housing,means including a heater for circulating heated air through said rearwall interiorly of said drum and outwardly of the access opening theretothence through said exhaust ports in said throat plate for dryingarticles tumbled Within said drum, drive means for driving saidrotatable drum, a sprnkler tank located adjacent said rear drum wallabove the center line of said drum, a chute located rearwardly of saidescutcheon opening for 'directing water poured therethrou'gh interiorlyof said tank, a fiexible Conduit for directing Water from said sprnklertank to a point forwardly of said rum throat member, an annular sealmember disposed between said drum and port plate throat members forsealing against the escape of moisture from interiorly of said tumblngdrum, a sprnkler nozzle having an inlet end an outlet end, said nozzleinlet end communicating with said flexible conduit, said nozzle having aportion thereon between said inlet and outlet ends fixedly connected tosaid port plate throat member to locate said nozzle Outlet incommunication with the interior of said drum for injecting Water fromsaid tank interiorly of said drum, said seal member overlying andengaging said nozzle to prevent leakage exteriorly of said drum alongsaid nozzle, control Circuit means for selectively connecting saidheater and said drum drive means to a source of power including achargeable capacitor and a sensor member located interiorly of said drumon said rear wall in line with the axis of said drum drive shaft forcontacting damp articles tumbled within said drum, means in said Controlcircuit means responsive to adjustment of said control selector forvarying the charge to said capacitor, said sensor member includingelectrical conductors for completing a grounding Circuit to controlcharging of said capacitor in accordance with the dampness of articlestumbled in said drum, one of said control buttons conditioning saidcontrol circut means for a sprinkle cycle of dryer operation, said tank,fiexible Conduit and nozzle directing a predetermined quantity of waterinto said 7 8 drum irrespe'ctive of the clothes load being tumbled dur-References Cited ing the sprinkle cycle of operation, said controlcircuit UNITED STATES ATENTS means including means for concurrentlyenergizing said heater and said drive means during the sprinkle cycle21846'776 8/1958 Clark 'r 34"-60 X operation for distributing saidpredetermined quantity of 5 21958254 11/1960 Lolgenecker 2,4 60 X water,said sensor means contacting said tumbled articles 319801-52 3/1963Friler et al 6`8 207 X 3,l97,884 8/1965 Smith 34-45 and sensing themoisture therein to condition said chargeable capacitor to terminatesaid sprinkle cycle of I v operation When the moisture in said articlesreaches the FREDERICK L' MATESON, JR Pnmary Exammer' predeterminedsetting on said programmable control sew JOHN CAMBY, Examiner.

lector for terminating the sprinkle cycle of operation.

